Improvement in means of lighting gas



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ED WIN D. MOOBAOKEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO LUOIUS A. BIGELOW,

I TRUSTEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MEANS vOF LIGHTING GAS.

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,082, dated October17, 1871.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN D. McGRAoxEN, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented new and Improved Means of Lighting Gras inStreet and other Lamps and Gas-Lights; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing forming part of thisspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide for turning on, shuttingoft', and lighting the gas at all the street-lamps or gas-burners, in acity, town, district, or all the lights in a building or other place ofgreater or less extent simultaneously by a person at a central or otherconvenient point or station. One feature of the invention relates to theemployment of two systems of pipes laid or arranged throughout the wholeof the place to be lighted, one of these systems being or correspondingwith the main and service-pipes commonly employed for the supply of thegas used for illumination, and the other system being composed of mainand service-pipes, which may be of much smaller size than those of thelirst-named system for the supply at a higher pressure than that usedfor illumination of gas, which serves two purposes, viz.: rst, theopening, by its pressure, of valves which let on and shut off the gas toand `from the burners for illumination 5 and second, the ignition of thegas at those burners. The gas used at this higher pressure for lettingon and lighting for illumination may be the same hydrocarbon or othergas which is used at the lower pressure for illumination, in which caseit will issue om a small burner near each illuminating burner in a veryminute jet, which will be kept lighted while the gas is shut ott' fromthe illuminating burner, and which will ignite the gas from the latterburners as soon as it is turned onto them; or, instead of thishigh-pressme illuminating-gas, hydrogen-gas of similar pressure may beused and be kept entirely shut off until it is desired to light up, whenit will, as in what is known as Dobereiners lamp, be thrown in jets uponplatinum sponge attached or arranged in suitable proximity to eachillLuninating-burner, or alkaline phosphoreted hydrogen which willignite on coming in contact with the atmosphere, may be used in the sameway without the platinum sponge. The invention also embraces a system ofvalves for letting on and shutting off both the illuminating andhigher-pressure gas from the burners, and a flexible diaphragm or otherequivalent device, so applied in connection with or arranged in relationto said valves, at or near each illuminating-burner, as to control theopening and closing of said valves by the pressure or absence ofpressure upon said diaphragm or equivalent, ofthe higher-pressure gasaided by springs or weights, such pressure or absence of pressure beingcontrolled by the opening and closing of a valve in the high-pressuremain at the central or other point or station whence the lighting andshutting off is to be controlled.

In illustrating the invention by means of the accompanying drawing, 1have not thought it necessary to represent the whole of the two systemsof pipes, as the system for conveying the gas for illumination maybe thesame as that commonly used, or just like it, and the system forconveying the high-pressure gas will be arranged in a similar mannerside by side with it; but I have only shown one illuminating-burner andthe apparatus used in connection with it for letting on, igniting, andturning off the gas.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, showing the apparatus in the conditionin which the illuminating-gas is shut oft'. Fig. 2 is a similar section,showing the apparatus in the condition in which the illuminating-gas isturned on and lighted.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

A is a box or case, of suitable form and size, divided horizontally by aflexible diaphragm, D, of leather or other material, into two chambers,B b and O c, the lower one of which is divided into two compartments, Band b, by a horizontal partition, b', and the upper one of which isdivided into two compartments, O and c, by a horizontal partition, c.The lower compartment b of the chamber B b has connected and in constantcommunication with it the service or supply-pipe E, for the supply ofthe illuminating-gas from the ordinary gas-main, and the uppercompartment B of the said chamber has a passage, c2, leading from it toa pipe, F, to which the illuminatingburner Gr is attached. The lowercompartment O of the upper chamber O c has connected and in constantcommunication with it a pipe, H, for the supply of gas from thehigh-pressure main, and the upper compartment c of the said chamber hasconnected with it the jet-pipe I, by which the jet of gas from thehigh-pressure pipe is conducted to a suitable point for the ignition ofthe gas issuing from the illuminating-burner Gr. In the partition b ofthe lower or illuminating-gas chamber there is an aperture fitted withan upwardly-closin g valve, e, the upper end of the stem e of which isconnected with the flexible diaphragm D, the lower part of the said stemworking through a guide, d, between which and the valve a spiral spring,j, is applied around the said stem in such manner as to exert a constanttendency to close the valve. In the partition c of the upper orhigh-pressure gas-chamber there is an aperture tted with anupwardly-closing valve, f, and a downwardly-closingvalve, f2, both ofwhich are connected firmly with the same stem f1. This stem worksthrough guides g and h, and between the upper one, f2, of said valvesand the upper guide h there is arranged around the stem f1 a spiralspring, 7c, which exerts a constant tendency to open the valve f andclose the valvef2. This spring is much weaker than the spring j, whichis applied to the valve e. The valve-stem f1 is hollow, and has screwinginto and passing longitudinally through it an adjusting-screw, t', thelower end of which protrudes through the bottom of the stem, and theupper end of which has a head which can be reached by a screwdriverthrough the opening in the top of the chamber C c on taking od' the pipeI. The valvestems 6 and f1 are in line, and so arranged that when thevalve e is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, by its spring b, the valvefwillbe closed or very nearly so by the upper end` of the stein e pressingupward against the lower end of the screw i, the upward pressure of thespring j overcoming the downward pressure of that, 7c. The distancebetween the valves fj'2 is so arranged and the opening of the valve e isso controlled by an adjustable stop, l, screwing on its stem c', andcoming in contact with the upper guide m of said stem, that when thevalve e is opened as far as permitted by its stop Z, and the valve f2 isclosed, as shown in Fig. 2, there will be a considerable distance ofseparation between the top ofthe stein e and the bottom of theadjusting-screw z'.

When hydrogen or phosphoreted hydrogen is used as the high-pressure gas,the valves f and e may be so adjusted that when the latter is closed theformer will be perfectly closed, and the cock or valve provided in thehigh-pressure main at the gas-works or other place whence the turning onand shutting off and ignition are controlled, may be kept perfectlyclosed during the day time, or while it is not required to light theilluminatinggas 5 but when the same kind of gas as is used forillumination, or any kind of hydrocarbon-gas is used, as thehigh-pressure gas, the valves 6 and f must be so adjusted that thelatter will remain slightly op en while the former is closed, and thecock or valve in the high-pressure main is always left very slightlyopen, so that there may be a constant flow of gas through the pipe H andthe chamber G c, and from the little burner u, which may be called thelighter, provided at the tip of the pipe I, where a small iiame is keptlighted during the day time or while the gas is shut off from the burnerG. The opening just referred to of the cock or valve in thehigh-pressure main must be so small that the gas admitted to the lighterwill escape and be consumed as fast 'as it is admitted into thehigh-pressure servicepipes, and thus prevent such a pressure in thechamber C c, and upon the upper surface of the diaphragm D, as would besufficient to overcome the upward pressure of the spring j, and open thevalve e for the admission of gas to the burner G. As the flame at thelighter is so small that if exposed it would be blown out by theslightest puff of air, a wire-gauze or nely-perforated metal cap isplaced over the tip of the lighter for its protection.

As the apparatus represented in the drawing is organized for the use ofhydrocarbongas in the high-pressure system of pipes, the operation ot"lighting with such gas will be first described, after which a briefexplanation will be sufficient to render intelligible the operation ofthe apparatus for lighting with hydrogen or phosphoreted hydrogen.

lDuring the daytime, or when no light is required, the parts of theapparatus occupy the position shown in Fig. l, the valve e closed, thevalve fnearly so, and the valve f2 wide open, and a very minute flamepresents itself at the lighter n. When it is desired to light up, thecock or` and the diaphragm is thereby depressed and caused to open thevalve c to permit the flow of gas to and through the burner G. As thisoperation takes place the spring k depresses the valves fj?, and therebyopens the valve fand gives a more copious supply of gas to the lightern, the iiame from which is thereby increased in the form of a long jet,which is directed across the tip of the burner Gr, lighting the gasissuing therefrom. The continued depression of the valves ff2 causes thevalve f2 to close, as shown in Fig. 2, and thereby shut off the gasentirely from the pipe I and lighter n; and the spring 7c keeps thelatter valve closed so long as the full pressure is allowed to remain onthe diaphragm, which should be as long as the illumination is required.When the lights ofthe burner Gr are to be put out the cock or valve inthe high-pressure main is closed sufciently to produce a sufficientreduction of pressure on the upper surface of the diaphragm D of eachburner to permit the valve e to be closed by the springj, and shut offthe illuminating-gas, as shown in Fig. l; and during this operation thevalves ff2 are raised by the upward pressure of the lower valve-stem onthe bottom of the adjusting-screw t'. During a part of this shortinterval of time which elapses between the commencement of the openingof the valve f2 and the completion of the closing of the valve f, asnearly as such closing is completed by their upward movement, and beforethe valve e closes, the gas is allowed to escape between the valves f f2in sufficient quantity to issue from the lighter n with sufficient forceto meet the flame from the burner G, and bethereby ignited; but when thegas has been shut off from the latter burner the valve fis so nearlyclosed that the flame from the lighter n is reduced to the minimum,which will insure its being retained until the next time for lightingup. It may here be remarked that the burners which have beenexperimentally employed for the lighters n with success are of suchcapacity as to consume only the one-hundredth part of a cubic foot perhour while the gas is shut off from the burner G.

It has been hereinbefore stated that when hydrogen or phosphoretedhydrogen is used in the high-pressure pipes to effect the letting on andlighting of the gas, the valves f and the cock or valve in thehighepressure main should be closed entirely when the gas is shut offfrom the illumw mating-burners. The operation of these gases in lettingon and shutting off the illuminating-gas is similar to that of thehigh-pressure hydrocarbon-gas, but they are only let onto the lighter nduring the intervals which elapse between the opening of one of thevalves f f2 and the closing of the other.

In applying this invention to street-lamps it will generally bedesirable to have a system of valves and diaphragms for each lamp 5 butin some cases, where several gas-burners are arranged very near eachother, one set of valves and one diaphragm may serve for the severalburners, as many pipes F and I as may be necessary being connected withone valve-box A.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination, substantially as herein described, with a system ofmain and service-pipes for supplying illuminating-gas to burners, andvalves for letting on and shutting off said gas to and from the burners,of a separate system of main and service-pipes supplying, at a higherpressure than the illuminating-gas, a gas which produces both theoperation of said valves and that of igniting the illuminating-gas,substanstantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the illuininatinggas chamber B b, thehigh-pressure gas-chamber C c, each divided into two compartments, theflexible diaphragm or its equivalent D, and the two valves efz, whenarranged substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination, substantiallyas herein described, with thehighpressure gas-chamber having two compartments, of the two valves ff2, opening and closing in opposite directions, as and for the purposeherein set forth.

4. The combination, with the fi exible diaphragm D, or its equivalent,and the valves e and f2 closing in opposite directions, of the strongerspring j, operating to close the valve e, and the weaker spring,operating to close the valve f2, substantially as and for the purposeherein set forth.

5. The adjusting-screw i, in combination with the valve-stems e and f1,substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

E. D. MOGRAGKEN.

